Thank you for sticking with me on this journey to process the 7 days I was in Malawi.

Our visit to the Nkhoma Hospital (www.nkhomahospital.org)

We visited the Nkhoma Hospital Monday, November 4. Our first stop was the maternity ward, to deliver baby blankets that had been donated by members of the San Clemente Presbyterian Church MOPS program, thanks to Joy Innes, who let them know the need. Two big bags were taken with our team in July 2013, but there was still a large bag's worth of blankets to be delivered. We met Nyathipa Mhango, the Maternity Clinic Officer (this is me making sure I spelled her name correctly).

She and the Administrative Assistant Jane Chidawati helped us unload all the blankets in her small office. Then they invited Ligina Chimutu and her baby *Million to pose with me for a photo. Nyathipa lovingly wrapped Million in the first blanket to be given away. What a blessing to see these gifts being given to a baby who was wrapped in a dirty cloth prior to this.

*Regarding the baby's name. Malawians have a unique way of naming their babies. They often select a word related to some personal experience that the mother or father go through at the time of conception or birth of the baby. We have giggled a bit at some of the names, but after conversations with some whose names have causes years of distress, we realize that not all cultural practices are the best, especially for a child.

After delivering these blankets, we headed to the hospital's medical supply warehouse to deliver the other medical supplies our church had collected. We were not sure exactly what the hospital needed, so I was concerned that they might not be able to use what we brought.

We were warmly welcomed by Estelle du Plessis, Mphatso Mkochi and Aline Hanskamp. The steril gloves were the first items they came to in our bags and although we only had the small size, they were so grateful as these are greatly needed. Then they came to the bags of syringes. The smiles and meaningful words of thanks were such a relief. The manager commented that the syringes we delivered had saved their budget for the year. Now, that is the kind of response we want to have when we bring medical supplies to our friends at the hospital.

For future Y-Malawi teams, here is the list of most needed medical supplies for the Nkhoma Hospital:

1. Steril gloves (sizes 7 and up)
2. Syringes
3. Dressing trays
4. Wound dressings
5. Blood glucose monitoring system for diabetics -- SDCheck Gold and strips

Later in the day I met with Dr. Rey TerHaar and Dr. David Morton to find out how the Y-Malawi partnership can best support them and the work of the hospital. Their ideal team would include a doctor who could come and work for 2 months to provide a break for the missionary doctors who are their full-time. But since that isn't always possible, they requested doctors who will come for 2 weeks and repeat over multiple years. That way the doctors can get to know the hospital and provide real help when they are there.

The other part of our Y-Malawi partnership with the hospital is our support of the Indigenous Doctors Training Program. They are currently training Rodrick and are thrilled with his commitment to the program. Past members of the program have left for better paying positions. The hope that Dr. TerHaar and Dr. Morton is to one day transition the hospital over to local doctors, so it is imperative that local doctors be trained. Your gifts to Y-Malawi allow us to financially support this ministry. To see all the uses of our Y-Malawi donations, go to www.y-malawi.org/blog.